The Doctrine of the Imminent Return of Christ

Nine Biblical Reasons for Believing in a Pretribulational Rapture

Except from the John MacArthur Commentary on I and II Thessalonians

The time of the Rapture cannot be discerned from this passage alone (I Thessalonians
4:13-18). But when it is read with other Rapture texts (John 14:3; Rev. 3:10; cf. 1 Cor. 15:51-52;
Phil. 3:2-21), and compared to judgment texts (Matt. 13:34-50; 24:29-44; Rev. 19:11-21), it is clear
that there is no mention of judgment at all in the Rapture passages, whereas the others major on
judgment. It is therefore necessary to conclude that the Rapture occurs at a time other than the
judgment.
It is best, then, to separate the two events. That initiates the case for the Rapture to occur
imminently, before the elements of judgment described in Scripture as leading up to the Second
Coming in judgment.
Again, no solitary text of Scripture makes the entire case for the pretribulation Rapture.
However, when one considers all the New Testament evidence, a very compelling case for the
pretribulational position emerges, which answers more questions and solves more problems
than any other Rapture position. The following arguments present a strong case in favor of the
pretribulation Rapture.
First, the earthly kingdom of Christ promised in Revelation 6-18 does not mention the
church as being on earth. Because Revelation 1-3 uses the Greek word for church nineteen
times, one would reasonably assume that if the church were on earth rather than in heaven in
chapters 6-18, they would use "church" with similar frequency, but such is not the case.
Therefore, one can assume that the church is not present on the earth during the period of
tribulation described in Revelation 6-18 and that therefore the Lord has removed it from the
earth and relocated it to heaven by means of the Rapture.
Second, Revelation 19 does not mention a Rapture even though that is where a
posttribulational Rapture (if true) would logically occur. Thus, one can conclude that the
Rapture will have already occurred.
Third, a posttribulational Rapture renders the Rapture concept itself inconsequential. If
God preserves the church during the Tribulation, as posttribulationists assert, then why have a
Rapture at all? It makes no sense to Rapture believers from earth to heaven for no apparent
purpose other than to return them immediately with Christ to earth. Further, a posttribulational
Rapture makes the unique separation of the sheep (believers) from the goats (unbelievers) at the
return of Christ in judgment redundant because a posttribulational Rapture would ready
accomplished that.
Fourth, if God raptures and glorifies all believers just prior to the inauguration of the
millennial kingdom (as a posttribulational Rapture demands), no one would be left to populate
and propagate the earthly kingdom of Christ promised to Israel. It is not within the Lord's plan
and purpose to use glorified individuals to propagate the earth during the Millennium.
Therefore, the Rapture needs to occur earlier so that after God has raptured all believers, He can
save more souls – including Israel's remnant - during the seven-year Tribulation. Those people
can then enter the millennial kingdom in earthly form. The most reasonable possibility for this
scenario is the pretribulational Rapture.
Fifth, the New Testament does not warn of an impending tribulation, such as is
experienced during Daniel's seventieth week, for church-age believers. It does warn of error and
false prophets (Acts 20:29-30; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1-3), against ungodly living (Eph.4:25-5:7; 1
Thess.4:3-8; Heb.12:1), and of present tribulation (1 Thess. 2:14-16; 2 Thess.l:4; all of 2 Peter).
Thus it is incongruous that the New Testament would be silent concerning such a traumatic
change as Daniel's seventieth week if posttribulationism were true.
Sixth, Paul's instructions here to the Thessalonians demand a pretribulational Rapture
because, if Paul were teaching them posttribulationism, one would expect them to rejoice that
loved ones were home with the Lord and spared the horrors of the Tribulation. But, in actuality,
the Thessalonians grieved. In addition, with a posttribulational teaching, one would expect
them to sorrow over their own impending trial and inquire about their future doom; however,
they expressed no such dread or questioning. Further, one might expect Paul to instruct and
exhort them concerning such a supreme test as the Tribulation, but Paul wrote only about the
hope of the Rapture.
Seventh, the sequence of events at Christ's coming following the Tribulation demands a
pretribulational Rapture. A comparing and contrasting of Rapture passages with Second
Coming passages yields strong indicators that the Rapture could not be posttribulational. For
example: (a) at the Rapture, Christ gathers His own (I Thess. 4:16-17), but at the Second Coming,
angels gather the elect (Matt. 24:3); (b) at the Rapture, resurrection is prominent (I Thess. 4:15-
16), but regarding the Second Coming, Scripture does not mention the resurrection; (c) at the
Rapture, Christ comes to reward believers (I Thess. 4:17), but at the Second Coming, Christ
comes judge the earth (Matt. 25:31-46); (d) at the Rapture, the Lord snatches away true believers
from the earth (I Thess. 4:15-17), but at the Second Coming, He takes away unbelievers (Matt.
24:37-41); (e) at the Rapture, unbelievers remain on the earth, whereas at the Second Coming,
believers remain on the earth; (f) concerning the Rapture, Scripture does not mention the
establishment of Christ's kingdom, but at His second coming, Christ sets up His kingdom; and
(g) at the Rapture, believers will receive glorified bodies, whereas at the Second Coming, no one
will receive glorified bodies.
Eighth, certain of Jesus' teachings demand a pretribulational Rapture. For instance, the
parable of the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24-30) portrays the reapers (angels) removing the
tares (unbelievers) from among the wheat (believers) in order to judge the tares, which demon-
strates that at the Second Coming, the Lord has unbelievers removed from among believers.
However, at the Rapture, He takes believers from among unbelievers. This is also true in the
parable of the dragnet (Matt. 13:47-50) and in the discussion of the days of Noah and the
description of the nations' judgment, both in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25).
Ninth, Revelation 3:10 teaches that the Lord will remove the church prior to the
Tribulation. In the Greek, the phrase "I also will keep you from" can mean nothing other than "I
will prevent you from entering into:” Jesus Christ will honor the church by preventing it from
entering the hour of testing, namely Daniel's seventieth week, which is about to come upon the
entire world. Only a pretribulational Rapture can explain how this will happen.
Thus, the Rapture (being caught up) must be pretribulational, before the wrath of God
described in the Tribulation (Rev. 6-19). At the Rapture, living believers will be caught up
together with the believers raised from the dead as the church triumphant joins the church
militant to become the church glorified.